Chaos on Cronos

[cheetor]

Does anyone out there know of any good sites for this game?  I am looking for additional scenarios, characters etc.

There seems to be a fair bit of info available about Chaos in Carpathia, Chaos in Cairo and of course Supersystem around, but next to nothing that I can find regarding Chaos on Cronos.

I think that the game is covered on the Superfigs Yahoo Group but I havent checked that out properly for a while.  A quick search on the group turns up very little (but I have difficulty searching efficiently in Yahoo Groups anyway for some reason).

I am hoping to try Chaos on Cronos out in a few weeks as part of the so far unending quest for a game with just the right balance to push the buttons of both myself and the other players in my group. 

If this game turns out to be "the one" I would hope to eventually mash in some of the stuff from Supersystem and the other Goalsystem games at a later date.  For the time being I am pleased with the streamlined approach that Cronos takes and want to keep it lean.

But I still want to do some online reading about the game if I can.

So, does anyone have any info?

[dijit]

Cheetor, since it would seem like you have a copy of it in front of you, would you mind giving a run down of it? I've looked it at a few times as I've heard good about the other Chaos books (but never played or seen them), so was wondering how well it works and what is possible with it.

[cheetor]

Cheetor, since it would seem like you have a copy of it in front of you, would you mind giving a run down of it?

Sure

Chaos on Cronos is a Goalsystem game, like SuperSystem, Chaos in Carpathia, Chaos in Cairo, Lucifers War and Road Kill.  There may be more Goal System games, but I dont know them.

For one reason or another, although I own all of those games, I have only actually played SuperSystem and none of the others.  This is not a reflection of the system itself, more of my gaming groups preference for other types of games over the last 7 or 8 years (!).

I have only played SuperSystem once a few years ago, so my experience with that is pretty small too.


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Chaos on Cronos is a game for 5-20 figures a side in a pulp sci-fi setting.

Game turns consist of determining initiative, followed by a player choosing a figure to move and attack with.  Once that figure has moved the opponent chooses one of his, executes its move and so on until both players have moved each member of their force, at which point Initiative is re-determined and a new turn starts.

Models have three characteristics that determine how many dice are rolled when attempting to do something: Attack, Defence, Special.  Most of these rolls are opposed (I roll my attack dice and count number of "goals" versus  the number of "goals" that my opponent got with his defence dice) 

Almost all figures have three hit points and standard movement value is 5". Movement can be interrupted to do other things (shoot, activate a scenario objective etc).

Additionally, pretty much all figures have a few traits and/or skills that allow them to buck an existing rule or do something else cool.

More or less everything, from weapons to skills to scenario effects tends to either increase or decrease the number of dice rolled for goals, rather than the result on the dice themselves.  I am hoping that this method works simply in practice as recalculating large numbers of modifiers in a game is a death knell for my gaming group.  IMO sometimes modifiers work in a game system and sometimes they do not, for various reasons.  Hopefully the former is true here.

In principle I like that more or less everything translates into more or less dice added to a "goal roll".  A force field or power armour or alien abilities to sense the direction of incoming fire can all be represented simply and without rules conflict by one or two extra Defence dice for example.  This is a good thing IMO.

CoC is pretty familiar stuff in many respects I think but what draws me to this game (apart from the theme, which is one of my favourites) is that it seems to be a stripped down version of SuperSystem (emphasis on “stripped down”).  I am looking for a lean, fast and robust system that still allows for actual player input and maneuvering beyond simply setting the figures up and watching them head towards each others lines in a flurry of dice.  I would be very happy if CoC turned out to be that game but I cant really tell until I have played a game or two.


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The inhabitants of the various planets and moons in the Sol system are represented by the Blue Moon Aliens and Spacemen range. 

Although a lot of those figures look pretty cool to me, I dont yet own any and intend to play Chaos on Cronos with some of the pulp sci-fi stuff that I already own. 

The background set up in the book is interesting, with a definite retro feel, much more Buck Rogers than Star Wars, even though it seems just a little grittier than either for some reason. Regardless, the rules are not intrinsically tied to those figures and backgroud and the character creation rules are supposed to be used to create whatever pulp things you want, which is a plus.


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So, it appears that nobody seems to have any info on actually playing Chaos on Cronos.  Boo   

[dijit]

Thanks Cheetor! That was quite a thorough run through, it has certainly helped. I think I'm more Star Wars sci-fi than Buck Rogers sci-fi, so I'm still not entirely sure yet. The quest for the holy grail that is the perfect ruleset still lives on I think 

[fourcolorfigs]

Hey, guys! Thanks for the interest in the game. Alas, there is not much independent support for it out there. I wrote the game at the request of OG/Blue Moon owner Russ Dunnaway for the Aliens and Spacemen range. I think it is a nice, stripped down version of our system. It does have a nice, simple build system in it as well.

I wish I had more time to handle support for all of the games I've worked on, but I just cannot do it. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Thanks!

Scott

[Pentaro]

Thanks for the info, cheetor.

[dijit]

Scott, how well would you say the rules would work for a more Star Wars type pulp game? I hear a lot of positive reviews about other supersystem games, would the full supersystem make a better starting point? And anywhere where I can get them as pdf files?

[Axebreaker]

You can get the PDF's from all the Chaos in... here:

http://wargamedownloads.com/cat.php?cat=12&pics=

or here:
 
http://www.sabersedge.com/

I just did it myself yesterday.

Cheers
Christopher

[Super_Gibbon]

I think for a Star Wars game you would definitely want to start with Chaos on Cronos. Then again, if the emphasis was on the Jedi and all their powers maybe Supersystem would be the way to go.


What I liked about Chaos on Cronos was the fantastic fluff fiction. Besides boasting an awesome command of the prose medium, I imagine the author must be tall and handsome as well....








btw I wrote the fluff fiction...

[dijit]

btw I wrote the fluff fiction...

[cheetor]

I think it is a nice, stripped down version of our system. It does have a nice, simple build system in it as well.

Thanks for your response Scott.

As I already mentioned, it is the stripped down nature of CoC that appeals to me in comparison with the other versions.  SuperSystem has a bewildering amount of stuff in it and I would rather start simple and proceed from there.  Plenty of opportunity to add things as we go, rather than get bogged down at the start.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Well, seeing as you offered...

1) There are multiple references to "Hiding" throughout CoC, but no actual definition of the term.  I can roughly extrapolate what it entails by referencing other GoalSystem rules.  As CoC does not use APs I figured that under the usual Hiding criteria that the model loses its ability to shoot and/or move this turn.  I would like to hear your "official" one-line answer if you dont mind  

 
2) Similarly, I did not find any reference to morale in the rules.  While I find most morale rules to be a pain in the ass in practice, they are often a necessary evil for ebb and flow in a game IMO. 

With that in mind I am considering using a modified version of the Road Kill courage rules (p9).  Under the same circumstances as described in that text I was planning to force a TN1 test against the Special Trait.  If failed then the figure cannot attack and may only move away from the enemy in the next turn. 

Does that seem reasonable and in keeping with the system to you?

Thanks Cheetor!

and

Thanks for the info, cheetor.

No problem

What I liked about Chaos on Cronos was the fantastic fluff fiction.....I wrote the fluff fiction...

 

The fiction and the Joseph Urban artwork in that book combine particularly well I think, better than in the other GoalSystem books that I own, IMO. 

They conjur up a more insular, "smaller" sci-fi environment than I am used too (much, much smaller than Star Wars or Star Trek or the Marvel and DC universes, all of which are full of hugely powerful things that can traverse dimensions and astronomical distances in moments).  While pulpy and heroic, the guys in CoC get things done in a more "seat of their pants" way than Jean Luc Picard, if you know what I mean and I like the way that the art and colour text reflect that.

Coming up with a comparatively unfamiliar flavour in the context of sci-fi tabletop games is no mean feat 

I hope that our upcoming games can generate some of that atmosphere.

[Axebreaker]

It looks like an interesting system and I plan on giving it a go at my club if I can find some try it out with me.

Cheers
Christopher

[fourcolorfigs]

Thanks for your response Scott.

As I already mentioned, it is the stripped down nature of CoC that appeals to me in comparison with the other versions.  SuperSystem has a bewildering amount of stuff in it and I would rather start simple and proceed from there.  Plenty of opportunity to add things as we go, rather than get bogged down at the start.



Well, seeing as you offered...

1) There are multiple references to "Hiding" throughout CoC, but no actual definition of the term.  I can roughly extrapolate what it entails by referencing other GoalSystem rules.  As CoC does not use APs I figured that under the usual Hiding criteria that the model loses its ability to shoot and/or move this turn.  I would like to hear your "official" one-line answer if you dont mind  

Yeah, those rules were left out--sorry! Yes, the model spends its action to "go to ground" and hide. Obviously, it cannot attack either. If an enemy model wants to spot it, it's an opposed Special check, with the hiding model gaining +1D for its position. Of course, if the detecting model has an unobstructed line of sight to the hider, he's spotted automatically.

As to Morale, what you're proposing sounds fine. Not too onerous or tough to track. I'd go with it!

[fourcolorfigs]

Scott, how well would you say the rules would work for a more Star Wars type pulp game? I hear a lot of positive reviews about other supersystem games, would the full supersystem make a better starting point? And anywhere where I can get them as pdf files?

I think they would work, but you might not be able to do full-on Jedi their proper justice with the smaller set of special abilities. If you don't mind adding stuff of your own to a game, they could be easily adapted.

SuperSystem could do it easily, but that game is designed more for 5 models per side skirmishes. Of course, with the henchmen rules you can have a lot more than that very easily. Stormtroopers would be 5 or 10-man henchmen groups, for example.

Hope this helps!

[cheetor]

I'd go with it!

Thanks again Scott.

Hopefully I will get a few photos of my impending games up in a month or two.